Hillsborough County is seeing its first mosquito borne Eastern equine encephalitis case in three years.
The Hillsborough County Health Department says one person was infected with the virus in the northwest part of the county earlier this month. It says that person is recovering well.
The last time a human was infected was in the summer of 2010 when two people died of the disease. The severe cases have symptoms of fever chills, headaches, and vomiting. About a third of people with the disease die and survivors can suffer brain damage.
County health department spokesman Steve Huard said there's one thing to remember...
"The first thing that people need to do is understand that arboviral viruses or mosquito borne diseases are something that we live with day in and day out," he said. So prevention is key.
Huard says make sure to use insect repellant when you're in an area with many mosquitoes and don't leave standing water around near your home, like bird baths, where mosquitoes can mate.
Huard also said this EEE case is early in the year but that's because of our mild winter. Mosquitoes thrive in subtropical climates.
